A Forgotten Yesterday
by HeadlessChicken7457
Summary: Caught with his pants down and thrust into a world vastly different from his own, Shaun is caught in a race against time as he fights to secure his way home, hopefully before all his memories vanish into thin air. Rated M for frequent swearing and injury detail. Will contain spoilers.
1. Rude Awakenings

All materials belong to their respective owners. I only own Shaun and House Leeds.

Chapter 1: Rude Awakenings

I vomited.

Not the most dignified first action to take when coming too, but I think it's a pretty common one. At least, I would assume. I don't really pass out often, to be honest. In fact, this is probably a first.

The sight and smell of my recently evacuated dinner snapped me out of my musings; if only due to the fact that it was starting to make my stomach churn, and guided my attention to the fact that I appeared to be kneeling in grass. It took me a while to process this, and even when I did, I found myself rolling onto my back to see if my mind was playing a trick on me.

It wasn't.

Somehow, I found myself right smack-dab in the middle of a giant field.

I felt my eyes widen as they travelled over my newfound landscape. The previously stated field I found myself in was surrounded by a fair few mountains dotted over the horizon. To my left, I could hear the faint sound of running water. A faint wintry breeze blew through the few solitary trees stationed a few meters away as the grey, overcast sky made the sun fairly hard to pinpoint.

I stood up slowly, holding the jacket I wore close to my body as a chill ran up my spine. This wasn't a place I recognised; and last I checked, it was still August.

I shivered again, but this time it wasn't due to the cold. "What in the actual…" I trailed off as I heard own voice. It was croaky, like I hadn't spoken in ages. Once again, a huge red-fucking-flag. I cleared my throat, almost desperately.

Scratching a strange itch below my nose, I looked around my immediate surroundings. I could question 'What the fuck is happening right now' plenty later, but right now is time to get my ass in gear and act on my priorities.

Priority number one being to find other people. Chances are I was still in England, or at least Britain: and as long as I'm still on the same landmass I can just hitchhike my way home.

The conclusion I eventually came to was to investigate the running water I could still hear. Which I _sincerely _bloody hoped was a river; and to my (relative) delight, it was one. A really damn big one, in fact. I made my way to the bank and exhaled shakily. I took a moment to scan the opposite bank, feeling the adrenaline start to wear of and the anxiety to begin creeping in.

Luckily, a massive fuck-off stone bridge stood of to my right; about a mile or so away.

I didn't waste time.

I took a running start. Which was a terrible idea, considering the fact that I had nothing to run on. But the gnawing dread that started weighing on my chest seemingly didn't care, as I continued on my anxiety-fueled sprint.

I don't know how long I was running. Time being a relative concept and all, but I found myself at the mouth of the bridge. I looked around wildly a brief second, both nursing a stitch at my side and breathing heavily. _Damn, I really am out of shape. _I tried to chuckle to myself, but it came out more like a strangled cough.

I started pacing in a feeble attempt to work off the nervous energy I was feeling. I scratched my nose again. The itch was still there, and apparently wasn't going away. Taking my hand away from my face, I noticed dried blood underneath the fingernail I used.

A nosebleed? How hadn't I noticed it before?

"Ho there, boy! Might there be something wrong with your hand?"

I couldn't help but yelp as I span around, clearly amusing the man who had just addressed me. His face was friendly enough: A fairly rounded thing, with crooked spectacles that sat on his nose and eyes that sparkled with mirth; but still felt somewhat off.

"Um, nah. 's nothing." I fumbled out, my throat once again feeling dry. When did I last drink, again?

The man continued grinning, the smile playing at his lips. "I see." He looked to both his left and right, further up the strangely cobblestone road he was riding down. "May I ask what you're doing here? The Great Bridge Of Myrrdin is hardly a place to simply wander around!"

The name sounded familiar, but not in a way that inspired any confidence within me. The man continued, clearly not paying attention to the quizzical look on my face. "Why, it's extremely peculiar! You hardly look to be an envoy of either the Empire nor the Alliance-" I raised my hand to interrupt this.

"Back up a second, what? Empire? Alliance?" The dread was now building up to a suffocating degree. The words continued to be eerily familiar, to the point where I was once again feeling a bit queasy. Wiping some sweat from my brow, I looked the man head-on. He wasn't grinning anymore, instead adopting a shocked expression.

Then a brief second later, he burst out laughing; which was kind of uncalled for.

"What rock have you been living under, boy? Do you not know of the Leicester Alliance, or even the Adrestian Empire- Hang about, what's wrong with you now? Why, you look like you've seen a gho-"

I stopped listening to the man on the carriage as I took what he said in. The Leicester and the Adrestian Empire. As far as I was aware, those two places from were a video game, of all things.

"Boy?"

Oh for fuck's sake, this day just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?!

If my memory serves (and it usually doesn't), the game this was from was a Fire Emblem one. Three Houses to be precise; and something in my gut tells me this is far too elaborate to be like, a convention or prank or some shit.

"Boy?!"

So, not only was I in the middle of nowhere; I also am operating under the assumption that I'm in a video game, more specifically; one where a massive war will break out, leading to nothing but turmoil and strife and death and blood and-

"Boy!"

I jumped out of my skin as an unfamiliar calloused hand snapped its fingers right in my face. It seemed that my carriage buddy had gotten out of his carriage while I drifted off. Now that I got a good look at him, I mentally confirmed he was in-fact of nobility; on account of his fine clothes and a general high-brow composure. Now I could see his full body, I saw that he was only a little shorter than I was; somewhere below six feet. Bizarrely, his body was fairly slim; despite his rounder face. Not waiting for me to respond, he continued. "Ah, it seems you are back with the living. You gave me quite a fright."

As he talked, he retrieved a white handkerchief from the red blazer he was wearing and offered it to me, I offered him a puzzled look; to which he responded by pointing under his nose. Following his directions, I wiped my nose and inspected it. I was shocked to see a dark red. Another nosebleed.

"Ah, but where are my manners! I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Robert Lafonia Leeds, head of House Leeds of the Leicester Alliance! May I inquire as to your name, and perhaps where you are from? Your accent is most unusual." Wow, Sir Robert. Way to put the random guy you found on the side of the street on the spot.

"Uh, Shaun. Shaun Goodman. Sir." I replied, once again stumbling over my words. I opened my mouth to reply to the second question, but quickly closed it when I clocked that I couldn't exactly answer this question honestly. Chances were that Sir Robert hadn't even heard of England, let alone London. My best bet was probably playing the classic amnesia card. Hell, if whats-their-name from Awakening could pull it off, maybe I had a chance too.

"That's just the thing. I, er, don't know." Despite my usually terrible acting skills, a look of sympathy dawned on the wealthy man's face. He looked solemn for a good few seconds, apparently searching for something to say.

Eventually, he brightened up again. "Well, at least now I know why you looked to be a frightened rabbit!" Was his poor attempt of lightening the mood. He gazed at me expectantly, to which I contorted my face in a way that vaguely resembled a smile.

The man didn't look entirely convinced, but dropped the non-verbal conversation; instead placing his hand under his chin in what looked to be deep thought. It got to the point where I was feeling a little self-conscious, tugging my jacket closer to my body and looking anywhere apart from the man's deep blue eyes.

Eventually, he murmured in affirmation. "Hm. Yes, I guess you will do."

"What was that?"

He smiled widely once again, clapping his right hand on my shoulder (To which I yelped. Adrenaline highs are a bitch, by the way.) "Congratulations, you're being adopted!"

"What was that?!"

* * *

Carriage journeys are a pain in the ass. Both metaphorically and physically. The constant bumping was definitely something I was going to have to get used to if I'm going to be staying here for any length of time.

_Staying._

I felt a pit in my stomach at that word.

I was very aware of the hardships this world was going to be going through in the not so distant future, and I was even more aware of the fact that I had very few options in getting back home. Unlike Awakening, there wasn't an Outworld Gate just lying around; so that option was shot down before it even had a chance. Maybe the Church?

Nah, probably not. That would require me getting to Garreg Mach Monastery first; and if I remember right that's easier said then done. Also, the Archbishop is a super-crazy dragon lady that would probably eat me before hearing me out on my story of inter-dimensional fuckery.

And that doesn't even _begin _to cover how much of a shitshow this world will become when the war breaks out. Will I be forced to fight?! I know House Leeds is literally right next to Myrrdin, one of the biggest tactical positions on the continent. Will I be able to keep my head down? Or will I be conscripted to fight and die for somewhere I honestly don't really care about? This whole thing is a mess.

TL DR: I'm stuck here for the time being, in a world doomed to break out into war and that also lacks toothpaste.

It would appear the universe has shat in my breakfast once again.

"You are looking awfully glum there, Shaun." I looked up to see my father of five minutes sitting casually across with me, that wide grin still glued to his face. I rolled my eyes ever so slightly, staring out the window at the slowly passing scenery.

"Yeah, no shit." I muttered, mainly to myself than to Robert. After all, he had taken a chance with me; the least I could do is hold off on being a sarky bastard until we at least got back to House Leeds. Which apparently was a thing that exists, yet was never covered by the game. At least, I don't remember it being covered.

Smelling something metallic, I rubbed my nose. Only a little blood this time, but this is something I probably need to keep an eye on.

A beat passed.

"… Why the hell did you just adopt me?"

"I like to think of myself as a good judge of character."

"That is probably the most unsatisfying answer you could've given."

"Apologies. If you are really so hesitant, the exit to the carriage is right there."

Okay, I kind of deserved that.

It's not like I'm not grateful to the man. Honestly, I am. But how quickly he answered the question would put anyone on edge, post involuntary interdimensional travel paranoia non-withstanding. It was obvious that he had ulterior motives, all I could hope is that they weren't sinister. I looked back to the man in question, and saw that he was staring out of the carriage window, a far-away look in his eyes.

As cowardly as it sounds, I wasn't about to pry. We rode in silence for the rest of the journey.

* * *

The carriage came to a stop a good hour or two later, and as I stumbled out of the carriage, I caught sight of what looked to be a hybrid of castle and a manor stood on a lone hill; surrounded by a few dozen smaller houses. Whilst not nearly as big as I would've assumed the houses of families like Gloucester might've been (Though Robert had mentioned that they were a fairly minor House, despite being so close to Myrrdin): it still stood tall and proud, only dwarfed by the mountains stood behind it. I shuddered slightly as some vertigo kicked in, but I was distracted by my traveling partner before I threw up for the second time today.

"Glorious, is it not? Passed down through generations of the Leeds family; going back to when we first split off from House Gloucester." I raised an eyebrow at that, opening my mouth to interject; but Robert interrupted my unsaid question. "Driver! Return the carriage to the stable, if you please." Giving me the smallest of smiles, he began striding to the door; leading me to jog after him to catch up.

He all but kicked the door to his grand abode open, eliciting a yell from the interior. It was only moments before we were rushed by a woman who looked to be in her fifties (Provided people actually lived that long in this world), her face red and her legs moving fast enough that I could almost swear I saw dust clouds.

"Why the bleedin' hell do you hafta be so damn theatrical all the time! Y' scared half to death, y' silly old bastard!" Christ, that voice was like a cat being dragged though a hedge by it's tail; with almost double the saliva input. She was by all means a tiny woman, both short and fairly thin; yet she possessed a presence on par or above most professional wrestler. With her thin red hair, generally dirty clothing and the rag she seemed about to strangle someone with; I took a shot in the dark and guessed she was a servant. Robert tried to put his hands up in apology, but this only served to make her more angry. "And who's this pipsqueak? Some unlucky kid you made with one a' those imperi-"

"That's enough, Sybil; I have pressing matters to attend to at the moment. You are free to yell at me all you want later." I was almost impressed about how impassively the man waved her off, and even more so about how she actually complied; albeit with more than a few death threats under her breath. Mostly involving reproductive organs.

"Do all of your servants treat you like that?" I asked as we continued walking into the house, my previously impressed disposition fading quickly. Robert chuckled in response (Once again not answering my goddamn question) and lead me through winding corridors and elaborate rooms; all serving different purposes. It was clear that the Leeds family was very proud of its admittedly meagre history. Robert descended into many rants about 'My grandfather this' and 'My father that', only stopping when I not-so subtly yawned. One thing, however, did catch my attention.

There was a tapestry of the war for the Leicester Alliance's independence from Faerghus, however there was no evidence of the red that appeared to be House Leeds' signature colour; leading me to believe it separated from Gloucester sometime afterwards.

Honestly, I didn't really pay attention to much of it, save important stuff like the library, training ground and mess hall; stuff that was basically essential to surviving in Fodlan.

_Fodlan._

I guess it still hadn't quite clicked for me yet. Cast into a different world, throwing up, then meeting some twat who had pretty much adopted me on the spot. It was downright surreal; mainly due to how many questions it opened in my head. Had I, when playing games, been manipulating real people's lives? Choosing whether they lived or died? Decided the outcome of the past, present and future for these people?

It was a lot of existential dread for a single internal conversation, so I noped out of that ASAP.

"… And this would be your room." The voice beside me announced, snapping me out of my thoughts before I could walk headfirst into the door right in front of me. I looked up at Sir Robert, as if asking him permission. He grinned and nodded, so I inhaled deeply and stepped into my room.

It was… Kinda disappointing, actually.

I guess barebones would be the way to describe it. It was decently sized, but the white walls gave it something of a sterile atmosphere; almost like a hospital room back home. Hell, the only furniture present was the bed; and even then the sheets were the same blinding white. I looked back at Robert, the head of my new house; and he gave me a wide smile.

"I um… Don't know what to say. Thanks, I guess?" The man frowned slightly, also looking around the room. Once again, I felt massively ungrateful. Even if he had ulterior motives, this man had still given me a home. And a rather nice one, at that. Very few people would stick their necks out for some dumb kid they found on the side of the street. Blushing self-consciously, I gave him something akin to a bow. "Thanks, Sir Robert. This is just… A lot to take in all at once."

"Think nothing of it." That same damn grin remained on his face, like he was trying so hard to be nice to me for reasons I don't think I want to know. "Moving swiftly onwards, I assume you're hungry." Actually, that was a good point. I was _very _bloody hungry. I hadn't even eaten since I first came to this universe, and my first experience here was puking up pretty much all of it back up. So yeah, I was hungry. I nodded enthusiastically to convey this.

He let out a small chuckle. "Good, you are welcome to come down to the mess hall at any time. After all…" He gave me a rather devilish smirk, a far cry from all his body language so far. "You're going to be needing your strength if you are to represent House Leeds at the Officer's Academy." Robert shut the door, leaving me white-faced and not all that hungry anymore.

I slumped down onto my bed and put my face into the expensive looking pillow.

I screamed.

**A/N:**

**Oh boy oh boy, I sure am FE trash right about now.**

**Hey all, and welcome to this self-indulgent nonsense about some dickhead who falls into a videogame. I know, right? Such a unique concept.**

**Just as a forewarning, updates are going to be sporadic at best. My life is kinda a mess rn, so please be a little bit patient when it comes to new chapters for this fic.**

**Also, a big thanks to all those beautiful people at the Treehouse Discord, who were a massive driving force behind me getting off my arse and actually writing this damn thing! It's free for anyone to join, so feel free to: /9XG3U7a **


	2. Swimming With A Raincoat

Chapter 2: Swimming With A Raincoat

So apparently, I still wasn't any good at fighting. As evidenced by my ass smacking the ground for what felt like the sixth time in five minutes.

"Get up. That was miserable." Came the ever-cheerful voice of my new combat instructor, a man in his fifties by the name of Byron. Grabbing the axe that landed right next to me, I rose back up to his challenge; but not before giving off a significant yawn.

In all honesty, over the past few weeks I've run myself right ragged. Not only have I had to secure myself a new name to better fit in with the majority of Fodlan (Which still sounded weird in my head), I basically had to drop everything to learn both how to hurt people and how to talk to people. Not necessarily in that order.

Luckily for me, Common was easy enough to learn. Its basic structure copied a lot from English, and the only real difference between the two scripts is that Common was far more runic in appearance, with fairly sharp edges being present in a lot of the more conventionally rounded letters. It took a bit of getting used to, but it was pretty easy to get a hang of. As was learning the basics of the history of Fodlan; which was mainly easy due to the fact that I already knew a good portion of it in advance. That said, my cover demanded that I had to 'learn' it. Politics, too, was quickly grasped. At least the majority of Fodlan didn't have nuclear weapons like back home.

Fighting, however, was an almost entirely different story.

Raising my training axe again, I found myself glaring at the man across from me. He was a couple inches taller than me, give or take; with an admittedly luscious head of red hair, complimented by a fairly short beard of the same colour. He bore a few scars on his face, the most noticeable of which being an arc from his nose to his left cheek; no doubt from some past battle or other. He held a wooden sword, wielding it with frankly menacing poise.

Gripping my axe tighter, I all but threw myself at him with an overhead chop. Now, the axe isn't as sophisticated weapon as I would've liked; but I'd taken to using one surprisingly well. I suppose it's the simplicity of just twatting someone really hard with a stick that has a lump of metal at the end that appeals to my overall less-than-graceful movements. That said, I was once again on my ass in a blur. I couldn't even tell how I'd got there.

"Focus, you're letting your mind wander."

I grumbled again, scrambling back onto my feet and assuming the same position as before. I decided that I would try something smarter than just sprinting at the guy and whacking him really hard (or at least attempting to). So instead, I would let him come to me. Granted, this approach hadn't helped me at all over the past few days; yet I still steadied my breath and gave him an admittedly pathetic glare. It was obvious he saw right through me, but he it looked like he was going to humour me.

He drew closer, sword in a defensive stance held diagonally across his torso. Hesitating slightly, I sent a horizontal strike towards his side; somehow, I had the premonition that this wasn't go well for me.

I was right. He clocked me directly in the face.

Ouch.

I fought the tears coming to my eyes as I went down like a sack of rocks, clutching my now rapidly blackening eye. "Ow!" I yelped out indignantly, sitting up to give him a genuine glare. "The hell was that for?"

"You needed to learn that the same tricks rarely work twice. I taught you." He replied, returning his weapon to the rack at the side of training grounds. There was no malice in his tone, just something akin to boredom. Once again, I wasn't good at this sort of thing quite yet; and it definitely appeared that I needed to practice more.

Regardless, it seemed that practice was over for the day (thank god); which left me free to do whatever the hell I wanted until sundown. And by that, I meant have I was going to have a nap. Or I would've done, had I not ran into Sybil on the way to my room.

For all intents and purposes, Sybil was a surprisingly nice woman; if a bit callous. As evidenced by her dragging me into an empty bedroom and rushing off to fetch a cold towel from my rapidly blackening eye. I protested but didn't resist. Mainly because I couldn't be arsed for confrontation at the moment.

She stormed back in mere moments later, a look on her face that could probably kill most people as she pretty much shoved the wet rag in my eye. "That Byron." She murmured to herself in a low growl, more to herself than anything. "Don't he understand that it ain't befittin' of a young heir to be prancin' around with black eyes an' that?"

I opened my mouth to respond, but it appeared this particular vent train wasn't stopping. "Honestly, the nerve o' that man! He was well aware of House Gloucester's visit this evening-"

This, I did finally respond to; my eyes widening. "Wait, what? When was that a thing?!"

"The prancin' around with black eyes thing or the Gloucester thing?"

"The Gloucester thing."

"Since last week, boy! Lord Leeds discussed it over dinner with you, remember?"

I didn't remember. Probably because I was feeding one of the estate's dogs my dinner discreetly that night. Was a cute little fella, too.

I laughed nervously to myself. "Fuck."

"'Fuck' is right! You gotta be listenin' when the lord does talk to ya, boy!" She snatched the rag away from my face and smacked me upside the head, to which I groaned in response. "Now, stop fidgetin' or that bruise is the last thing ya gonna be worryin' about." I ignored that blatant threat and instead vouched to think this new nugget of information over. House Gloucester would be paying a visit this very evening, and with them will probably be the first 'Canon' character I would be meeting; Lorenz. Admittedly, he wasn't my favourite of all the Golden Deer; but I at felt that I could tolerate him; at least for a couple of days.

Which brought me to my secondary concern for the moment; how the hell should I act around my classmates in the coming year? Given that Leeds was situated in the Alliance, the Deers were the most likely class I was being put into; which was pretty lucky in that I wouldn't have to work with the warmonger or whatever the hell post-timeskip Dimitri was in future.

That said, there was one person that my future all but depended on: Byleth. Whatever house they chose would make or break my chances at survival.

I felt my stomach drop.

"Well, that should be good fer now." I heard a distant voice say as I stewed in my thoughts. "Boy? You alright there?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and gave Sybil a half-hearted grin that probably looked more like a grimace. She grunted slightly. "Ah, whatever. Jus' make sure you don't be embarassin' House Leeds in front of 'em fancy Gloucester folk."

I couldn't help but stare at her blankly for a moment, still not entirely out of my funk.

"Well go on, off wit' ya!" She all but yelled, causing me to jump off my feet and hastily exit the room; the door slamming shut behind me. I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding and began trudging back down the hall. It would seem that my earlier plan to go back to my own room and have a nap would have to wait, pushed out of the way in favour of preparing myself both physically and mentally to meet with someone who I initially thought was mere fiction.

"… Why me?" I muttered to myself, more indignant than anything else.

* * *

A few hours later, pretty much the entire estate was crammed into the entrance hall, all awaiting the esteemed guests for the evening. A wave of silence washed through the room, all eyes on the huge oaken doors I had come through only a few weeks prior.

I was wearing what seemed to be a poor, medieval imitation of a tuxedo, which was every bit as uncomfortable as that sounds; a fact that clearly showed on my face considering the silencing glare I got from Sybil. Receiving the message that was not-so-subtly given, I put on a more neutral expression; even if I was currently vouching to locate the nearest bridge and throw myself off it.

I looked to my right, to where Robert was standing. He wore a large, fake smile on his face, very akin to one that you would pull when taking a photo with a drunk older relative at a family gathering you didn't want to be at. Tapping his foot slightly, he let out a small cough.

Taking the initiative, I started a conversation with him for what seemed like the first time. "Uh, Lord Robert? When were Gloucester supposed to be arriving?"

"Any moment an hour ago, my boy!" Robert replied, clearly finding his own joke hilarious. That said, there was a clear edge of irritation in his voice; and I honestly couldn't blame him.

"If you don't mind me asking, who actually is coming tonight?"

"Oh, only Count Gloucester and his eldest son. If I remember correctly, he's around your age; perhaps a little older." To this, I gave a small hum. Lorenz having siblings was something that wasn't ever mentioned in-game, but I guess it makes sense that Gloucester would want as many heirs as possible; especially ones with Crests. But Christ, I couldn't for the life of me imagine what Lorenz's siblings would look like. Actually, what the hell would Lorenz look like outside of the anime-esque art style? Unheeded by my internal dialogue, Robert continued, now in a whisper. "Now, my boy, I'm sure I don't have to ask you this; but please for the love of Sothis, _do not speak if you can help it._"

I opened my mouth to argue and probably call him a twat, but I closed it when I realised that exactly was the reason for his request. Instead, I only gave a sheepish nod.

"There's a good lad."

Almost on-cue, the doors opened; revealing orange skies and two purple-headed figures, both of which strolling in with an air of authority that implied they owned the place, and from what I could gather about the politics of the Leicester Alliance, that wasn't too far from the truth.

One of the first things that Robert hammered into me during his lectures on Alliance politics is that Leicester was all but a mish-mash of ruling parties and puppet houses. Houses like Riegan and the others considered part of 'The Five Great Lords' held most of the power and sway within the future of country, whilst puppet houses like Acheron's controlled more local affairs, such as law enforcement and trade. We were one such puppet, and one of the men in front of us was the one tugging on our strings.

I looked back to my side, as to gauge Robert's reaction. Judging by the way his hands briefly clenched and how he cleared his throat, I clearly underestimated just how little power we had in our own House. "Count Gloucester, welcome to our home." He spoke up robotically, giving a courteous bow. He gave me a sideways glance, and I did the same. "I trust you had a safe journey?"

Count Gloucester, without putting too fine a point on it, looked like the sort of person that would get the deed to a coal mine for Christmas. He dwarfed both me and Robert in height, and his thin frame exuded a presence that made you want to just shut up and listen, else you'd get executed or something. His hair, despite being a purple that really didn't look right to me, was immaculately kept at shoulder-length; even after what I presumed to be a long carriage ride. He topped off the look with piercing grey eyes and a purple moustache that wouldn't look out of place on a Disney villain.

I must've been staring, as the man regarded me with something that wasn't so much a cold glare as it was a stare reserved for horse shit one found on the road. "It was acceptable." He returned, his gaze on me unfaltering. I could feel anxiety bubbling up in my chest, even without moving to meet his gaze. "I assume this one is Sean?"

Sean Goodman Leeds. My new name. Though a pretty minimal change, my name needed it to fit in with the rest of the Fodlan elite. And, given my accent already making me stick out like a sore thumb, I desperately needed it.

"Yes. Right, Sean?" Robert gave me another sidelong glance, despite telling me not to say anything less than five minutes ago.

"O-oh. Sean Goodman Leeds, at your service." I cursed inwardly at the stutter. In future, I'd have to watch out for stuff like that; especially since Gloucester gave a dissatisfied 'hm' at it. My black eye probably didn't help my case either.

Rule 1 of speechcraft: Show no weakness.

"Of course. Leeds, I trust you are familiar with my son?" Oh, I forgot Lorenz was here. The boy in question stepped forward, having obviously been waiting for his chance to introduce himself.

"Honestly, father, as if he could forget someone of my station. Sir Leeds, it is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance once more." Lorenz… Was somehow exactly what I was expecting; at least character-wise. This was honestly pretty reassuring; and gave me reason to assume my knowledge of canon would at least be somewhat useful to what I was experiencing. Of course, that was a double-edged sword; but I figured I better cross that bridge when I came to it.

Terrible haircut aside: Lorenz had a pretty well-meaning, if a bit irritating, demeanour about him. He was dressed in elaborate black finery, complete with gold trim and his signature red rose for a dash of colour. His smile was what clearly what he seemed to think was suave, but it came off as deeply unsettling.

"And to you, Sean. It is my greatest pleasure to meet you. I am Lorenz Hellman Gloucester, firstborn and heir to the noble House of Gloucester!" He bowed to the both of us in a theatrical manner, causing both Robert and I to look nervously at each other. Even Count Gloucester couldn't help but pinch his nose.

Robert was the first to break out of the funk, addressing the still-bowing Lorenz. "And a pleasure to see you too, Young Lorenz. To think, you were barely up to my waist the last I saw you, now you stand here as a man deserving of your noble lineage!"

Naturally, this caused Lorenz to chuckle heartily, lapping up the praise. He went into a spiel on how grateful he was to meet one that recognised his 'noble demeanour', but my focus was on Robert himself.

The man was watching Lorenz intently, a smile glued to his face. A smile that didn't reach his eyes.

I frowned to myself. I may owe Robert too much to repay, but something was off about him. From the way he had shut down the nigh-unstoppable Sybil when I first entered the estate, to how he got such a good read on Lorenz's character so quickly put me on edge. Sure, it was inevitable that he would hear something of my fellow teen's personality through letters; but he had to have some innate talent to play him like that in the first place.

Gloucester also seemed to take notice of this, clearing his throat to refocus the room's attention on him. "Leeds, I believe we had business to discuss?" It wasn't a question so much as a statement, and Robert relented easily.

"Of course. I see age hasn't dulled your tendency to get straight to business. Sean, would you be so kind as to escort Lorenz elsewhere? I'm sure there are more interesting things you youngsters could be doing."

Nodding meekly to Robert, I motioned for Lorenz to follow. Said noble made a small noise, half way between a gasp and a whine. It would seem that he wasn't happy to be on the kid's table; but he was alone in that. I've never been one for political drama, myself.

Unluckily for me, I was in Political Drama: The Game.

* * *

We walked for a minute or so in complete silence, Lorenz mourning not getting to talk with the big kids and me not really feeling secure enough in life to start up a conversation myself. Eventually, I got fed up, and stopped in my tracks; gathering up my courage to rip off the plaster that was basic human interaction. I span on my heel to face Lorenz, who gave me a raised eyebrow.

"So. Uh. What exactly do you want to do? We got, uh, a training ground, and a library. If not, I could always give a tour." The last one was a lie, I could barely find my room most days; but I thought it would be a nice offer.

His face lightened up in a way that made me nervous. "Ah! Please, let us go to the training grounds. I wish to test the mettle of the one that has caught the attention of Sir Leeds."

_Welp, at least it was only the second worst option he could've picked._

I sighed slightly, but gave him a grin regardless. "Alright. Don't expect too much, though. I'm god-awful at sparring."

Lorenz shook his head with a hoity-toity chuckle that made contact sparring start to sound more and more fun. "Truly? I am sure one of your standing is merely just being humble. How bad could you possibly be?"

* * *

**30 Minutes Later**

"You are an embarrassment to the nobility."

I gave a dry chuckle to that, only stopping when I swallowed and began coughing up the sand of the training grounds. Picking myself up off my face and drinking in Lorenz's mortified look, I eventually was able to clear my throat of the invasive particulates. "Hey, I warned you. You can't say I didn't warn you."

He shook his head, as if in disbelief. "I am aware, but I was not prepared for this level of incompetence! Have you no shame as a distinguished member of the nobility?" Okay, he was already starting to get on my nerves.

"'Distinguished member of the nobility' my arse, I haven't even been here a month." I jumped to defend myself, picking up my wooden axe in such a way that I got some déjà vu from earlier.

Lorenz visibly took a step back, his eyebrows furrowing and the grip on his wooden lance tightening. "Such language, too! Do you truly care so little for your station?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I wasn't exactly given a choice in the matter." This really seemed to tick Lorenz off, as he stabbed his lance into the ground.

"Apologies, but that is unacceptable! As a someone of noble birth, you have a duty to present yourself in a manner to be a leader of the commonfolk!" I was now beginning to see why a lot of people aren't fans of Lorenz in the main game. Sure, I understood where he was coming from; but I have an intense disdain for the concept of nobility itself, no matter how much the people of Fodlan 'need' it. I held my tongue, though. Speaking rashly is something that a dumbass would do, and I was firmly against being a dumbass unintentionally.

"Uh, Lorenz? I'm adopted."

He stopped, blushing slightly as he regained his allegedly 'suave' composure.

"Ah, of course. My apologies, I appear to have forgot. Forgive my speaking out of turn." I opened my mouth to accept him, but I should've known better than to try that when talking to Lorenz. "Ah, of course. As a way of proving my sincerity, allow me to assist you on your journey to become a true noble over the coming days!"

I shook my head. "Cheers, but no."

He did not register my statement.

"Ah, I am glad you accept! We will start with proper tea party etiquette, after which-"

"Lorenz, I said no."

"We shall begin learning the most common ways nobles thank the goddess for her gifts, and we shall-"

"Lorenz, for fuck's sake."

"Ah, we must also work on your use of language! It is hardly noble for you to frequently use such a choice vocabulary. Surely, you must…"

At this point, my will was broken; and I resigned myself to my fate.

The coming days are sure to be filled with great hardships.

**A/N:**

**Kept you waitin', huh?**

**I uh, definitely put this off longer than I expected too. I would make an excuse, but I have none and am just lazy.**

**In this chapter, we were introduced to Shaun actually getting a personality and the bromance that's going to be near the centre of this story for pretty much the entire thing. Apologies for any inaccuracies in advance, Lorenz is a pretty weird character to write for; but I definitely had some fun with his personality here.**

**Once again, massive thanks to everyone on the Fanfiction Treehouse Discord for their support and getting me off my ass to eventually write another chapter of this garbage. The link to join is right here: 9XG3U7a. It's free for anyone to join, so don't hesitate to drop in.**


End file.
